Mapped by
Hellmut H. Doelling1 and Paul A. Kuehne 2
1 Utah Geological Survey, retired
2 Utah Geological Survey, Mapping Program
A STATEMAP project supported by the Utah Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Trip highlights:
- examination and discussion of the northern portion of the Marysvale volcanic pile
- newly mapped Oligocene volcanic intrusions
- discussion of the contested Sanpete-Sevier Valley anticline and associated structures including the surface structure over the Covenant oil field
- contorted Middle Jurassic Arapien and Twist Gulch Formations
- Paleogene sedimentary strata including the Flagstaff, Colton, Green River, Crazy Hollow, Aurora and Dipping Vat Formations
- Silicified beds of the Crazy Hollow Formation?
The purpose of the review is to give the public and local government officials an opportunity to learn about new geologic research in their district, and to give geologists and others an opportunity to critique the map before it is published.
Information
- Assemble Tuesday October 1st at 7:30 a.m. 2 miles north of Sigurd in the parking lot of the Cedar Ridge Station near the junction of Utah 24 and Utah 118. To get there from Salina go 7 miles west on I-70 to exit 48 then head south and follow the sign to Capitol Reef.
- Anyone is invited – please circulate this notice among your colleagues.
- There is no charge, but for planning purposes, we ask that you RSVP to the Utah Geological Survey (email: starrsoliz@utah.gov; or call 801-537-3300).
- A few short but strenuous hikes are planned.
- A high-clearance 4WD vehicle is required; a limited number of spaces may be available in UGS vehicles within the fieldtrip area (not to or from Salt Lake City)
- Please bring a sack lunch, water, boots, hat, and field clothes.
- If severe weather threatens, please call the UGS office on day before to see if canceled.
- This field review is in conjunction with the review of Cedar City geologic mapping on October 2 (see other notice or contact the Utah Geological Survey for more information).
Questions?
Contact Paul Kuehne at the Utah Geological Survey, 1594 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6100; Telephone (801) 537-3300, Fax (801) 537-3400, email paulkuehne@utah.gov.
heraldextra.com
Torrential rains caused a major mudslide in Alpine just before midnight on Thursday, putting 18 inches of mud into the basement of one home. Kaitlyn Dix was home alone around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday when tragedy was compounded by hardship. She had just gotten a call from her mother, Dixie Dix, saying that her grandmother had died. Within five minutes, the mudslide swept through the yard, breaking through a bathroom window and inundating the basement. Firefighters arrived on the doorstep just as her sister, Nicole, arrived home from a concert, and the women were told they had “30 seconds” to evacuate. They spent the night at a neighbor’s home.
Gooseneck State Park, San Juan County, Utah
Photographer: Mike Hylland
The bent mariposa is found in coarse, sandy soils at elevations of 2,700 to 6,500 feet in the arid lands of the southern part of the state. Utah’s impressive topography directly influences temperature and precipitation and consequently shapes Utah’s flora and fauna. The state’s substantial elevation differential—over two vertical miles between the highest and lowest points—contributes to a variety of habitats and a great diversity of species. Mountains force air to flow up in a process called “orographic lifting,” which causes air to cool and humidify, and enhances precipitation.
This photo was submitted to us by Gerard Dauphinais. From the Alstrom Overlook you can see Gunsight Butte and Padre bay of Lake Powell. Alstrom Overlook can be accessed from Big Water via Warm Creek road to Smokey Mountain road. Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado Rive in Glen Canyon. Glen Canyon itself was carved out of the Colorado Plateau by differential erosion over an estimated 5 million years. The canyon exposes layers of rock from over 300 million years ago to relatively recent volcanic activity. Thanks for the fantastic photo Gerard!
Remember, you can always submit your photos to us at ugssmedia@gmail.com, on Facebook, or Twitter! 
deseretnews.com
The Jones Hole Trail at Dinosaur National Monument reopened last week after being closed due to a massive rock slide in June. Superintendent Mary Risser said a portion of Jones Hole Creek will remain closed from the National Park Service/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fish hatchery boundary to downstream of the rock slide zone. Anglers will be able to access the creek either on USFWS property or starting downstream of the slide area to the confluence with the Green River.
Great Salt Lake is a modern hypersaline lake and a remnant of freshwater Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. It serves as a modern analogue to the Uinta Basin’s lacustrine Green River Formation and lacustrine microbial formations worldwide, including several recent very large oil discoveries in the deepwater offshore Brazil (pre-salt Santos Basin and others). Actively forming microbial stromatolites, pustular thrombolites, and tufa deposits are found within the lake and along its shores. Beaches and nearby dunes consist of abundant associated hypersaline ooids, coated grains, peloids, and rip-up clasts.
Recently, a few geologists from the UGS traveled to Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake to investigate the modern microbial carbonates (i.e., bioherms) first hand. The most convenient place to see the bioherms is in Bridger Bay on the northwest side of the island. The bioherms live in roughly 1 to 3 feet of water, of course this will depend on overall lake level elevation. Now is a good time to see these unique structures as the lake level is quite low.
Geologists from around the world have traveled to Utah to see these modern bioherms and relate their depositional environment back to ancient examples that now serve as excellent oil reservoirs.
kcpw.com
The University of Utah is starting a new masters program in petroleum engineering to help fill high paying jobs that are available in the industry. But some say this is short sighted and fossil fuels are on the way out. KCPW Reporter Kim Schuske has this story.
Core Workshop: Microbial Carbonate Reservoirs from Utah
Field Trip: Modern and Ancient Microbial Carbonates in Utah—Examples from Great Salt Lake and the Uinta Basin’s Tertiary (Eocene) Green River Formation
To register for either the short course, field trip, or both, go online at: RMSAAPG2013.COM and look for short course #4 and field trip #5.
Details are listed below:
Short Course #4: Microbial Carbonate Reservoirs from Utah – Core Workshop
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. at the Utah Geological Survey’s Core Research Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Instructors: David E. Eby, Eby Petrography & Consulting, Inc.; Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr., Utah Geological Survey; Michael D. Vanden Berg, Utah Geological Survey
Fee: $200 for professionals, $100 for students (includes lunch, refreshments, and course notes)
Limit: 30 professionals, 5 students
Post-Convention Field Trip #5: Modern and Ancient Microbial Carbonates in Utah: Examples from Great Salt Lake and the Uinta Basin’s Tertiary (Eocene) Green River Formation
Date: Thursday, September 26 – Saturday, September 28
Leaders: David E. Eby (Eby Petrography & Consulting, Inc.), Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr. (Utah Geological Survey), Michael D. Vanden Berg, Utah Geological Survey
Itinerary: Departs from the Hilton in Salt Lake City, Utah, at 8:00 A.M. on Thursday, September 26, and returns to the same venue or the Salt Lake International Airport by approximately 11:00 A.M., Saturday, September 28
Fee: $700 per person. Includes transportation, lunches, refreshments, two nights lodging (double occupancy), and field guide.
Limit: 24 persons
Dr. Jim Kirkland, State Paleontologist with the Utah Geological Survey, will be speaking at Anasazi State Park (http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/park/anasazi-state-park-museum) this Friday, July 12, at 1:00 pm as part of the Boulder Heritage Festival. Jim’s talk is titled “Utah’s Outstanding Dinosaur Heritage.” This event is free to the public. For more information, go to http://www.boulderutah.com/heritage/.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.